NEW DELHI, April 30 (Xinhua) -- India Monday formally sought permission of the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty (ATS) to setup a third research base in the icy continent in order to bolster its scientific research there, Indo-Asian News Service reported here.

IANS reported that Indian Minister of Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal said India had asked permission of the treaty members in this regard and expressed the hope that it would get the green signal at the ongoing 30th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) here. The ATCM is being held in India for the first time.

India has two research bases in the Antarctica, called the Dakshin Gangotri and Maitri. However, the first one, Dakshin Gangotri, is completely non-functional as it is buried under ice. There are around 20 scientists working in Maitri.

The ATCM meeting here is being participated by scientists and experts from governmental and non-governmental organizations from more than 45 countries.